Authorities in southeastern Jiangxi province are investigating health techniques used by a qigong master who has ties with a long list of celebrities, including Jackie Chan and Jack Ma, and who has been accused of getting rich by defrauding believers of the supernatural.

The inquiry comes after state-backed China Central Television aired two investigative news programmes on Sunday, calling Wang Lin a phony and “a vulgar magician” living on “deluding celebrities and blinding the public”.

Jiangxi resident Wang, 61, has long been known at home as a “qigong master” who is able to heal cancer and other complicated diseases with his supernatural abilities, which he acquired in the 1980s, the newspaper reported.

Wang’s critics said the evidence that he does anything special is non-existant. He’s been accused of using magic tricks. Wang says he does not take money for his healing but he does allegedly sell products and take money from “apprentices”. Is he breaking laws? It’s not clear yet but I’d hate to be in his shoes.

If you can prove supernatural or even paranormal powers, there are millions to be made for sure and you owe it to the world to show them. Funny that these people never do that. They just get their money by more direct means – right from your bank account.